75 per cent of LAs not good enough says Ofsted

Seventy-five per cent of the local authorities subjected to a new inspection framework fell below the minimum standard, a new analysis reveals.

Close to a third of all local authorities across England have been assessed by Ofsted’s new ‘single inspection framework’ to date. Introduced in November, this combined inspection procedures for care and adoption services and also introduced a system of stricter gradings, with the former ‘adequate’ rating replaced by ‘requires improvement’.

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The lowest rating is now ‘inadequate’, followed by ‘requires improvement’, ‘good’, then ‘outstanding’.

A new analysis by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services reveals that 44 per cent of the children’s departments inspected to date have received a lower rating under the new framework, while only 17 per cent have seen their rating rise.

Overall, 75 per cent of the 41 authorities inspected have been placed in the lowest two grades: 31 in total. Seven of these were rated ‘inadequate’. The remaining ten were rated ‘good’, the lowest standard now regarded as acceptable.

Earlier this week two additional local authorities – St Helens in Lancashire and Waltham Forest in London – were given the ‘requires improvement’ rating, Children and Young People Now reports.